Integrity Women's Health

06/08/2025

My mother taught me how to make pastry dough and cook intuitively. She was laissez-faire about the whole process! She still calls it the “kitchen dance”.

My son would eat this whole tart on his own. I best keep cooking!

Tomato-Mustard Tart 🍅
1 pastry shell (I like to make mine)
2-3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1-2 tsp Herbs de Provence
2TBS Panko breadcrumbs
1 TBS Maille Dijon
1/2 cup Gruyère, shredded
1 egg yolk

Arrange the pastry crust in a pie dish. Spread mustard in the bottom of the pie shell and sprinkle with Panko and herbs. Arrange the tomatoes over the Panko (if there are lots of seeds, take them out so it’s not too wet). Sprinkle more herbs over the tomatoes, and then the cheese. Brush the egg yolk over the edges of the pastry.
Bake at 425 until crust is cooked. I never time my pies- if it smells good it’s probably done. 😉
Enjoy!

28/07/2025

Experts in pain medicine raised the question that because pain is a highly common experience among women worldwide it has historically been dismissed in pain management.

We need to bridge the gap between medical opinion that forms guidelines and the clinical process of how women’s reports of pain are actually managed in practice.

Pain and your menstrual cycle health are vital signs and must be simultaneously assessed.

24/07/2025

Food for thought as you travel this summer.

The surprising wellness trend that’s popping up in the world’s most exciting destinations.

28/05/2025

Birth announcements!
Mothers acknowledging joy and relief.
The birth story may not always be according to plan.

Life is a delicate balance of push and surrender. There is power and knowing which to choose.

Behind each announcement here, is a woman’s journey to self-advocacy, healing fears and beliefs about her body, learning to let go and then rise up.

The real work of healing is often a hidden process. 🤍

16/05/2025

Estrogen is your homemaker hormone that builds up the uterine lining to create a nutrient rich environment for an embryo to implant. Estrogen increases in response to follicular growth until it peaks and signals your brain to start the pulsatile release of luteinizing hormone (LH). When LH peaks the stage is set for ovulation to occur and for an egg to rupture from the follicle.

Keep in mind:
-The LH surge alerts you that ovulation is about to occur. It doesn’t guarantee it will occur.

-Research shows that LH rises between midnight and 8 AM.

-Ovulation usually occurs 24-36 hrs once LH surges. An egg can survive for 12 to 24 hours after ovulation.

-Some women have a fast LH surge, within one day, while some have a slower surge over 2 to 6 days.

-Testing with an ovulation predictor kit twice a day may help you to better catch the LH surge.

-Cervical fluid that looks clear, stretchy and slippery is an indicator you’re approaching ovulation.

-Ovulation is confirmed by testing progesterone levels seven days after you ovulate.

11/05/2025

My mother is my compass.

She taught me how to love unconditionally and to follow my intuition.

She sees me, all of me, even the parts of myself that I try to restrain and ignore.

I can love deeply, nurture, and be steadfast because she poured love into me.

06/05/2025

Acupuncture can increase your chances for conception, but the “dose” matters.

Many fertility clinics offer acupuncture before and after embryo transfers, based on the initial research that acupuncture can improve chances for conception.

Translating research into real life practice has led to this question: does the pregnancy success rate improve when acupuncture is received more frequently, and combination with a broader treatment plan?

It turns out that when acupuncture is given throughout the entire cycle and combined with a TCM whole-system approach, it is far more effective than limiting treatment to the day of embryo transfer.

Here’s what more recent research reveals about how a whole-system approach to care can boost your chances for conception:

-The dose of acupuncture should be 1-2x times a week during an IVF cycle, beginning when you start stimulation until your pregnancy test.

-Fertility health is more deeply supported when acupuncture is combined with nutrition and lifestyle modifications.

-Treatment with acupuncture and herbal medicine should be targeted to support each phase of your menstrual cycle. In my practice I use herbal medicine well before an IVF cycle starts and then discontinue once stimulation begins.

-Acupuncture during the two week wait can greatly reduce stress and anxiety.

When women received this type of whole-system care versus acupuncture only on the day of embryo transfer, the success rate was 60% compared to 48%.

This is the take away: acupuncture reduces anxiety on the day of embryo transfer and improves blood flow to the uterus. However, if you want to boost your chances for success, how you prepare for conception matters. Acupuncture, combined with strategies to improve the foundation of your health will have a greater impact on your fertility.
(Rubin et al.,2015).

23/04/2025

My eldest turned 13 this spring. He’s much taller than me now and likes to randomly pick me up. I have to tell, “him put your mother down.” This makes him laugh and only encourages him.

He was born on a perfect spring morning. Sunny side up and in a great hurry. As I watched him blow his candles out this year I thought of all the unknowns that proceeded his coming into this world. Would we have a child? Could we have a child?

He and his brother were a lesson in patience.

It is because of this journey to motherhood that I have devoted my practice to supporting others struggling with infertility. I felt like I was floundering, searching for resources and answers on my own. I know the pain of being told “just keep trying” or “it’s an unfortunate outcome but it’s a numbers game.”

I chose to practice within a medical model that compliments, but stands outside, traditional healthcare. I practice science-informed intuition honoring, individualized care.

My approach is simple: listen and be curious it all unfolds from there.

I believe that healing happens in the space between listening, reflecting and seeking to understand your unique story.

My promise to you is to honor and nurture your health journey, to be inquisitive and compassionate, and to remind you that your body is beautifully resilient.

I know asking for support can be hard. You don’t have to struggle. You are not alone. 🤍

21/04/2025

17/04/2025

Three years ago, a patient came to me believing that the only way she could conceive a child was through medical intervention. She had an irregular cycles that became absent in her 30s. Her doctor told her she was unlikely to ever have natural cycles and diagnosed her with hypothalamic amenorrhea. She was told not to be concerned because she could do IVF when she was ready to start a family. This woman came away hearing it wasn’t important to understand why her period stopped, a fact that was troubling her, and that IVF was her only solution.

While she was glad to have a diagnosis she knew the treatment plan was misaligned with her intuitive sense that her body could change.

She came to me seeking an alternative approach to healing and connection to her body. She learned to change rigid exercise and dietary patterns. She embraced her body’s need for rest and her spirit’s need for self compassion. Through a whole-systems treatment plan that included acupuncture, herbal and lifestyle medicine, her cycles returned. She was able to conceive naturally when she entered a deeper state of health.

Your body is beautifully resilient when you cultivate a physiological environment of safety and nourishment.

A few weeks ago, she wrote to share the good news that she’s expecting her second child.

15/04/2025

Growth towards a healthier state of being is not a linear process. It’s an integration of setbacks, nurturing curiosity, and examining your motivation for change.

Our culture focuses on results and leaves the story of hard work on the sidelines. This creates the illusion that someone went from A to B and neglects all the micro steps it took for them to achieve success.

The beauty of change-the victory- is in all those micro steps.

When confronted with a challenge try a new way of thinking: setbacks are not failures. They are a chance to revise, to improve, and harness your determination. Setbacks build resilience.

What you believe about yourself, and your body‘s capacity to change, translates into cellular communication throughout your entire being. Your body is listening. What messages do you want to send it?

12/03/2025

Today was magical! After months of working with this incredible mama-to-be, I finally got to meet her beautiful baby girl. It’s always such a joy when babies come to the office for the first time ~ outside the womb.

From our preconception coaching sessions to prenatal acupuncture treatments, it’s been an honor to support her journey to motherhood. Meeting this patient’s husband and baby was a reminder of why I love my work. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey!